Method of embossing leather



Jan. 31, 1928. 1,657,889

A. G. MANNS W METHOD OF EMBOSSING LEATHER Filed May 5. 1926 Iii 9411 INVENTOR.

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Patented Jan. 31, 1928.

'UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT G. MANNS, OF OCONOMOWOG, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO ALBERT 0. TROSTEL,

0F MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

METHOD OF EMBOSSING LEATHER.

Application filed May 3,

The invention relates to a method of can bossing leather, oilcloth, imitation leather, and similar materials.

The usual method of embossing leather consists in subjecting the leather to the make a continuous design over the entire surface, as it is impossible to match separate impressions made by the die and hencethe leather or other material does not have the pattern impressed thereon in one continuous sequence throughout the entire material.

I have found that the usual rigid cut dies, with their great expense and disadvantages, may be dispensed with in embossing designs on leather, including patent leather or materials having a patent leather finish, such as imitation leather and oilcloth, by using dies of woven material, such as woven wire, or fabrics, such as lace. Such dies may be readily and cheaply obtained, in continuous patterns of any length desired, and the scrapping of one design or pattern for another more popular design entails a negligi- The invention further consists in the several features hereinafter set forth and more particularly defined by a claim at the conclusion hereof.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is an elevation view of apparatus used in connection with the process;

Fig. 2 is a plan View showing progressively the finished embossed material or leather with the die superimposed thereon and the die.

Referring to Fig. 1,the numeral 3 desighates the level bed of a press, 4 a movable pressing platen, 5 a flexible die and 6 the leather or material to be embossed.

In practising the process, the leather or other material above mentioned may be placed upon the bed 3 of the machine, with the finished side up, and the flexible die is either placed over the finished side of the leather, so as to be acted upon by the platen 1926. SeriaI'No. 106,514.

or is secured to move with said platen, or thefiexible die may be placed upon the bed, the finished side of the material superimposed upon this flexible die, and the platen act on the other side of'the i'naterial. In other words, the die 5 is forced into the finished face of the leather or other material and leaves thereon the impression of its design as said die and the leather are pressed together between the bed 3 and the platen 4., and upon removing the die the design of the die material will be found to be impressed upon the leather.

It is to be noted that instead of using a pressing platen having a small reciprocating head that the pressing platen may be in the form of a roller that travels over the material and relative to the bed throughout its pressing operation, but as the invention herein relates to theproccss and not to any particular form of apparatus, further description thereof is deemed unnecessary.

The material forming the die may be of woven wire, or fabric, more particularly lace, whose delicate tracery will be embossed upon the leather, as shown at 7 in Fig. 2, adjacent the heavier portion at 8, showing the leather with the die superimposed thereon. That portion of the pressing apparatus which is disposed next to the die is preferably heated to a suitable temperature, as for instance 200 F., so as to facilitate the impression of the design upon the material,

As the cost of laces or other suitable die material is infinitesimal compared to the cost of the heavy cut steel. plate dies usually employed, the shifting from one design to another in factory production is an easy matter, and the facility with which a corn tinuous pattern may be embossed upon a whole side of leather or upon a great length of material, such as imitation leather and oilcloth, which have a finish similar to patent leather, and the available selection of die material being myriad, a greater variety of designs may be put out more expeditiously and at less cost than with the former rigid.

l a h r fin shed or unfinished, and on patent ill leather, and may also be used on materials with linseed oil or pyroxylin finish. I desire it to be understood that the invention is not to be limited unless specifically specified to its use on leather, and also that by the term patent leather, used in this specification and claim, I mean a leather finished with a linseed oil coating or a pyroxylin coating.

lVhat I claim as my invention is:

The HI'OCQSS of embossing designs upon patent leather or other materials having a patent leather finish. which consists insubjecting the material to heat and pressure while in Contact, on its finished side, with lace to indent said finish in the form ol' the design of the lace.

In testimony whereof, I aliix my signature.

ALBERT G. MA N N 

